London 2012: China leads medal race on first day of competition

On the first day of competition in the London 2012 Olympics, China leads in the medal standing with a total of six medals consisting of four golds and 2 bronzes

The four gold medals won by Chinese athletes came from events in swimming (2) weightlifting and air rifle competition. Included in the top 5 overall medal ranking were China, Italy, US, Brazil and Korea. China had the most number of gold medals with four, followed by Italy with two while the US, Brazil and Korea had one each The 20-year-old Sun Yang gave China its first men's swimming gold medal in its Olympic history in the 400-meter free style. “I used this gold medal to finish my dreams,” Sun said. “This gold medal shows the Chinese people in a positive light. This was for all my team.” Consistent US swimming gold medalist Michael Phelps, who has so far won 16 Olympic medals, did not make it this time as he finished fourth in the 400-meter individual medley. The US lone gold medal was won by swimmer Ryan Lochte in the 400-meter individual medley. There were 12 gold medals handed out on the first day of completion. Half of these gold medals were won by China(4) and Italy(2). For overall medal standing, please click here.